Asanda trips the starlight fantastic
FEW teenagers can brag about performing for Antonio Banderas, Lindsay Lohan, Eva Longoria, Nicole Scherzinger and Victoria Beckham.
Nor can they boast of sharing a stage with The Beach Boys, David Foster and Alexander Burke.
But 14-year-old Asanda Jezile can do just that.
Asanda, who was born in the UK to South African couple Luyanda and Prudence Jezile, has taken the international music scene by storm after featuring on Britain’s Got Talent two years ago.
She shot to fame in the UK, after she wowed the judges of the talent show, including hardto-please Simon Cowell.
But Asanda’s rendition of Rihanna’s Diamonds also provoked an outcry, with some Brits dismissing her dance moves as too provocative.
Becoming a finalist and earning praise from Cowell, who told her she had “amazing stage presence”, opened doors for the southeast London schoolgirl.
While she is recording her own album, Asanda’s cover versions of Beyoncé and Rihanna tracks have earned her a following, particularly on YouTube, where videos of her performances have clocked up more than 55 million hits.
Her most recent feat was performing at the Friends of Israel Defence Forces fundraiser in LA, which was attended by Hollywood stars such as Banderas.
She said one of her most memorable performances was at the Global Gift gala at the Four Seasons Hotel in London last year, where the teen met Scherzinger, Longoria and the Beckhams.
“Nicole came up to me after my performance and hugged and squeezed me. So did Ricky Martin and Eva Longoria. I performed Diamonds and Halo at the gala event,” said the teen.
Asanda, who arrived in South Africa this week with her family, said she was always excited to return to her parents’ birthplace, East London.
“I started singing when I was very young, around the age of three. I could sing before I could talk,” she said.
Her parents left the Eastern Cape 17 years ago and settled in London. Luyanda featured in the acclaimed stage production of The Lion King, and now manages his daughter’s career.
He and his wife have also prepared her for the hardship of the entertainment industry.
“We’ve told her not everyone will always love you,” he said.
Asanda’s ritual of saying a “little prayer” before taking the stage helps to soothe her nerves.
She is very much in touch with her Xhosa roots.
“Even though I’m in London, all of our friends are South African. I never feel that the culture is gone. We still eat pap in London, we still have traditional Xhosa dishes like umfino [spinach].”
Asanda’s plan for the new year is to finish her album and focus on her education.